Edith Macintosh, Head of Improvement Support

Is it the chicken or the egg?

We probably all know of an older person with rich life experiences and great stories to tell. We might also know that this person has become less active over time and see this as a natural part of ageing. At the same time we might be concerned about failing strength, mobility and independence and the possibility of falling. So which comes first – the chicken or the egg? Do we lose abilities because we are moving less often and becoming less active, or become less active because we lose abilities?

The good news is that it is generally the former. There is strong evidence that regular movement and activity can help to hold off and even reverse some of the age related decline in physical and psychological function as we all age. The bad news is that research shows that in some cases older people in care can spend nearly 80% of their day sitting. As you can imagine, this can have a serious impact on physical and mental health.

Care About Physical Activity (CAPA) is an improvement programme to boost movement and activity among older people supported by the care sector across Scotland.  It is funded by The Scottish Government and led by the Care Inspectorate. This programme support many national policy agendas towards a healthier Scotland including the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework. It also supports the Scottish Government’s vision of maintaining people in their own home, or in a homely environment, prevention of ill health, and inappropriate admission to hospital and self management.

A series of local learning events will be held across the country during June and July which will involve the eight local partnership areas who are taking part in the 18 month improvement programme. After that the CAPA programme team will offer support to care services to make improvements and help people in their care to move more often.

Through the improvement programme care staff will have the opportunity to share good practice with one another, develop their skills and learn about ways to keep physically active themselves. We look forward to working with Scottish Care, Local Integration Leads and other partners supporting the improvement work in local areas.  

It’s often just little things that can help make a big difference.  When older people are supported to move purposefully in ways they want and like to do, the benefits are tremendous and having a hugely positive effect on physical and mental wellbeing. It’s a terrific opportunity to remind all of us that moving, moving more often and then moving regularly and frequently is a key way to improve our quality of life.

To find out more, please visit http://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/meet-sid/9-professional/2615-care-about-physical-activity

Or you can also contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.